In David Watts’ article ‘Take terror to task’ (January 2009), Sir Gulam Noon, the British businessman of Indian origin, has come up with some important observations about the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. It’s interesting to note that his is first-hand information as he was staying in one of the Mumbai hotels at the time when it came under attack.

The first thing Noon stresses is on the unusually long time it took the Indian security forces to respond to the attacks. He repeatedly mentions the 61-hour figure, the time it took for Indian commandos to eliminate all terrorists involved. He’s right. It did take a very long time, and that’s because the commandos had to be airlifted from Delhi to Mumbai. But this problem has since been addressed. Henceforth commandos will be based in all important Indian metropolises. Indian state has normally been slow in getting its anti-terror act together, but no longer. Mumbai was a good learning experience for the country. Two senior politicians, whose response to the attacks was found to be inadequate, have had to quit their offices. They were the union home minister and Maharashtra chief minister.

Noon expresses surprise, and rightly so, over the lax coastal security in the country. He says, ‘With all the coast guards and the navy in the Arabian Sea how could 10 people enter Indian territory; and not only enter the territory but enter the city: no one was there to stop them!’ While it is true that India has a huge coastline and it’s difficult to guard every bit of it, Mumbai was a big failure of intelligence. What is unforgivable is that a coast like Mumbai being exposed to such a massive incursion. Hope it was the first and the last time.

In my opinion the most important point that Noon has raised concerns the country’s police. ‘The first line of defence for the public,’ he points out, ‘is the police; the commandos and all the others come later on.’ Bang on target! But Indian police is the weakest link in the chain of country’s security. Exceptions apart, Indian police is an uneducated, uncouth, corrupt and brutal force. With sixty-two years of independence behind it, this force till today has failed to win a common man’s trust. A common man still dreads to go to a police station to register a complaint; he knows he’ll be treated shabbily by the cops. They’ll treat the complainant like a criminal who’s come to increase their workload. The cops in this country are only for the rich and the powerful. This is the most important anomaly that needs to be addressed by the new union home minister. Till such time that the cops are made courteous, common man-friendly and responsible they’ll continue to fail in their duty towards the country.

One area where I disagree with Noon is in his suggestion that in the absence of advanced technology and training, India should seek the help of countries like Israel and United Kingdom. Of course, India enjoys good relations with both these countries and there is a certain level of ongoing partnership with both, but there’s no substitute for self-help.

Miriam Ross
Mumbai

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